Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet joined U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and 15 Senate colleagues in a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Marty Walsh requesting information on their investigations into child labor exploitation of unaccompanied non-citizen children. The letter follows a New York Times article that raised serious concerns about the vetting of sponsors of such children. The Times found large numbers of these children are being placed with exploitative sponsors and working long hours in dangerous conditions. DOL has reported a 69 percent increase in illegally employed children since 2018.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), within HHS, is tasked with the care and placement of such children, and DOL is responsible for investigating child labor exploitation. In the letter, the Senators expressed concerns about reports that ORR is prioritizing the speed of placing children with sponsors over the children’s safety and well-being.
“ORR, within HHS, is charged with the care and placement of unaccompanied noncitizen children. Such children are particularly vulnerable to exploitation. While we understand the need to ensure children do not spend any more time in...
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